match.dog
"How I Met My True Love" love stories about real dogs + their humans By Leslie Voss – Owner of Francie’s Boutique, Topsfield, Massachusetts
Beau came into our lives through our daughter Marlena. She had entered a recovery program near Asheville, North Carolina in August 2017. However, because she was 18, she could decide to leave the program and after one week she did. She wanted to do recovery her own way. It was very difficult for my husband and me to let go and let her figure it out on her own. In March 2018 I bought Francie’s Boutique in Topsfield, an upscale women’s clothing consignment store with gifts and home décor featuring local crafters and artisans. The store kept me occupied and not worrying about Marlena 24/7. I realized it was also a way to model resilience, teaching my daughter that you have to find a healthy way to carry on when things fall apart. Our contact was sporadic over the next 1 ½ years.
Leslie & Beau
Beau was four months old. He was small enough to fit on my lap, slept a lot and loved to cuddle. Needless to say, we fell in love at first sight! Ironically, we had just adopted a cat the month before Beau arrived. We named him Oscar because he is a tuxedo cat. Now we had two black and white pets, and it quickly became a full house! Marlena set about rebuilding her life beginning with an outpatient recovery program, and I brought
Beau at Work
In March of 2019, Marlena made a desperate call for us to pick her up and told us that she had to bring Beau too! He came from a trailer full of pit bull pups and was given to her at 2 months old. She said she realized how much we loved her like she loved Beau. She wanted a better life for him, and she was ready to come home and do recovery the right way. My husband flew down to pick them up and drove the three of them home together. In this way, I really consider Beau our rescue dog!
Marlena & Beau
Beau to Francie’s Boutique with me. We set up a pen for him and he quickly became a popular draw for the Boutique! I had grown up with a dog, but had not realized what a dog culture had developed until Beau entered our lives! Now I also carry dog themed gifts!
inspired her to think big and sharpen her business skills. Additionally, she was able to build a closer bond with her father as her finance mentor.
Marlena enrolled in Gordon College fall 2019. Close enough to home in Topsfield so that she could see Beau and us on weekends when she could, or we could visit her there too! She was also able to incorporate Beau into her course work. She took an entrepreneurial course called Social Venture Challenge and devised a business plan for “Beau’s Indoor Dog Park.” The idea was a hit and she made it to the final top 5 from a pool of 15 in this Shark Tank like competition. More than that though, Beau had
Beau has been my constant companion at the Boutique as I rebuild my business in the time of COVID. He’s had to get used to people wearing masks and has adapted pretty well. He’s happier harnessed next to me on a cushion by the check out counter than in his crate. When he is not in the Boutique, customers ask where he is! Beau is lucky to have many fans, including those that bring him treats and even those who offer to take him for a walk! Now the store’s unofficial name is Francie’s BEAU-tique!
Crate, potty training and puppy classes for Beau was also a helpful and positive focal point for us as a family as Marlena rebuilt her life as a young adult. Beau gave us all unconditional love and lots of laughs as we watched him explore his new world with us!
10 seacoastbarkmagazine.com
Then COVID hit! We all hunkered down at home, but we looked forward to our daily walks in the woods with Beau. Despite all the upheaval this pandemic has caused, those walks made us more closely examine the change of the seasons and our connection with nature while experiencing the joy of watching Beau’s exuberant interaction with it too, especially off leash.
